Title: Downtime and Debriefs

Rating: K/PG (rating may go up if story continues)

Spoilers: "Pegasus Project"

Pairing: S/J implied, maybe not-so-implied later.

Summary: Just after they get back from Atlantis. Light moments of off-duty team-bonding type stuff.

A/N: This is the most I've ever done about Mitchell so I'm a little nervous about his characterization. Some people thought I was too harsh with him in my last story, but that was mostly meant to be Daniel's interpretation of things… although I admit that I was still remembering their relationship to him in Season 9 more than how it's been this year. Anyway, this one is probably better on that front. Here goes…

Downtime and Debriefs

By CooperTrooperSG1

Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell entered the commissary at the SGC, doing a quick sweep of the room, and realized he was the last one of their group to arrive. Teal'c was in line - awesome, Mitchell could cut in front of Siler and that other guy that was always with him - and Vala and Daniel already had their trays and were sitting at their usual table.

Ignoring the frown he got from Siler, Cameron clapped Teal'c on the back and greeted, "Hey, T-Bone!"

Teal'c expressed the utmost displeasure with the new nickname - meaning that the corners of his mouth turned down and his shoulders stiffened ever-so-slightly.

"Sorry," Mitchell apologized. "I just got some Seinfeld DVDs… which probably explains nothing, does it?"

"O'Neill enjoyed that program," Teal'c said. "But after watching two episodes with him, I did not understand the appeal."

Thinking about it for a moment, Mitchell decided that might very well be a show that aliens just wouldn't 'get.' Frowning slightly at the glob of what was probably supposed to be meatloaf that was unceremoniously plopped onto his plate by a bored-looking SF, he said dryly, "Gee, it's great to be back, isn't it?"

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed, either missing or (more likely) overlooking the sarcasm.

Their recent trip to Atlantis had been an all-around success, and everyone was still on that post-successful-mission high, even after the long flight home. The most impressive evidence of this was that Daniel and Vala weren't even in the middle of an argument when Teal'c and Cameron joined them. Daniel actually seemed to be enjoying his conversation with Vala - which, considering that he usually looked like he was trying his best not to scream when they were going at it, was cause for celebration in and of itself.

"Look, Teal'c, Beauty and the Beast are getting along for a change," Cameron said as he sat down across from them.

"Come on, Mitchell, Vala's a little… difficult… but she's not a beast," Daniel said. Vala punched him, hard, on the arm. "Okay, I stand corrected," he said, rubbing his arm.

"I believe Colonel Mitchell intended you to be the 'beast' in question, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, drowning the meat on his plate in ketchup. Everyone stared at him for a few moments. He almost never needed anything explained to him any more. "Although I do not see why he would choose to imply that someone who bears such a resemblance to himself is beast-like," Teal'c added evenly.

Daniel laughed. Vala laughed louder. Mitchell came as close to sulking as a Lt. Col. In the USAF should ever come, then reluctantly admitted, "Good one, Teal'c. So, what did you guys finally find to talk about without arguing?"

"Daniel was telling me all about your legends of Morgan LeFey. Apparently there are some people on your fair planet who were on her side all along."

"I was telling her about 'The Mists of Avalon,'" Daniel explained.

"Yeah, that woman from 'ER' is pretty hot," Cameron agreed.

Daniel did the blinky-blinky thing at him for a few moments and said, "You know it's much better as a book."

"But the movie's not as long," he responded.

Rolling his eyes, Daniel turned his attention back to Vala. "Anyway if you're interested, I can bring it in for you."

"I'd like that," she said, nodding. "I'd like it better of course, if I could go get it myself. Probationary status notwithstanding, if your government decided I was trustworthy enough to go to Atlantis, I don't see why I still have to beg for permission to get out of this mountain for an evening…"

"I think a large portion of you being allowed to go to Atlantis was that nobody else wanted the responsibility of being your babysitter for a month while I was gone," Daniel countered.

"Can we not get into this again right now?" Cameron interrupted, cutting them both off. "I swear, Sam was right - you two are like bickering children. You're worse than Sheppard and McKay, although slightly less annoying…"

Vala looked around suddenly as though just realizing she'd lost something, and asked, "Where is Colonel Carter?"

"She is in Washington," Teal'c answered, hoping they could talk about something other than Vala and Daniel fighting. Talking about them fighting was much less entertaining than listening to them fight.

"What's she doing there?" Vala asked.

"She's debriefing the Head of Homeworld Security," Cameron said, trying to decide whether, "in private," "literally and figuratively," or "in more ways than one" would be funniest. He glanced at Teal'c and decided, based on the look on his face, that maybe it would be better if he just sort of… implied it in tone of voice instead.

"Up close and personally, no doubt," Vala remarked.

"Hey, good one," Cameron said in admiration. He decided he'd made the right call when everyone clearly got it anyway, but Vala got the fallout from actually making the remark seem just as suggestive as he'd intended - namely a disapproving scowl from Teal'c and the blame for making Daniel choke on his roll - hey! something else she was good for besides bugging Jackson…

As Vala continued with, "I'm sure they're enjoying themselves much more thoroughly than we did during our collective debrief with General Landry," Teal'c's jaw twitched a little bit - but he seemed to get that at least Mitchell had made an effort to restrain himself. How, Cameron didn't know. He probably just knew because he was Teal'c. That seemed like the best answer.

And Daniel was now winced involuntarily, as he always did whenever the subject came up, before frowning. "Vala, how did you know about that anyway?"

"Well, darling, I didn't actually know until you just confirmed it," she smirked, patting him on the cheek.

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A/N: I'll probably do another chapter with Sam actually being in Washington.